Promoted Sides Get Best of Milan, Barcelona

Bad day to be a soccer superpower.

• AC Milan loses to promoted Bologna, whom everyone associated with Spanish football, says will be relegated this season;
• Real Madrid and Barcelona open the La Liga season with losses, Barcelona to a promoted side as well!
• Spiraling Spurs draw with Chelsea;
• Benfica can't buy a win;
• and Celtic loses to Rangers--again.
  

Having watched the second half of Milan's 2-1 loss to Bologna, let's just say it was no surprise Carlo Ancelotti was lighting up a cigarette with less than 15 minutes to play. Stress relief was a must. Milan was a miscarriage of poor intentions passing the ball forward with neither imagination nor hope. Ronaldinho is a shell of his former self, Shevchenko sadly a step slower than the looping over-the-top passes coming from Pirlo and Co. in the midfield. And Clarence Seedorf, well just one word: Shocking. How many times was his pocket picked by a rag-tag bunch of nobodies from Bologna that he had to resort to fouls from behind?

Thankfully for the Rossoneri faithful, eight-plus months remain in the Serie A season.

Rough day all-around Europe too. Inter drew 1-1 with Sampdoria in Jose Mourinho's debut. Real Madrid loses 2-1 to Deportivo while Barca falls 1-0 to Numencia. Real has not won in Coruna in 17 years, while Barca hit two posts in losing to the upstarts. Atletico Madrid, however, may be the best team in the capital, winning 4-0 over Malaga, avoiding losing to a promoted side!

In England, not only was Chelsea held by the soap operatic Tottenham, 1-1, but Liverpool drew at Gareth Barry's Aston Villa nil-nil and Fernando Torres left the game with a hamstring injury.

In Portugal, Derby 1 ended 1-1 between Benfica and Porto.